Tea and Cake
by Kate Bing
Summary: It's 4 o'clock in the morning and Naoko Toba finds herself in the convenience store in the hands of a mysterious masked ninja. It isn't long before this man becomes a regular at her cake shop. Is it love or is he really just there for the cake?
1. Chapter 1

"Momo!"  
Naoko woke suddenly, her body on full alert, startling the ginger cat that had been dozing by her head. With a quick scan around her room, she quickly concluded that she had drifted off to sleep at her desk and that her cat, Momo, was in no danger from enemy ninja.  
"It was just a dream," she said with a smile of relief, beckoning the wary cat into her arms. "Just a dream."

It was nearing lunch time and Naoko Toba, instead of making the most of her day off and relaxing, had started sorting through the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk. She hadn't made it very far before the weeks of late nights and early mornings finally caught up to her and the paperwork soon became her pillow. Seeing her owner sleeping so peacefully, Momo the cat had snuggled beside her head to take her own little nap, never anticipating the rude awakening she was shortly to receive. Now, she was safely in her owner's arms and all was well in the world, except Naoko still had piles of paperwork to get through before the next morning and she had barely made a dent. "Looks like it's gonna be another late night, Momo-chan," she sighed, releasing the cat so she could make herself some lunch (instant ramen, of course) and a cup of tea to help her make it through the rest of the day. It goes without saying that this cup soon turned into five before evening rolled around and it was time to eat again (another course of instant ramen). Momo watched as her owner powered through into the early hours of the morning, moving from that chair only for tea and toilet breaks, before eventually calling it a night and curling up on the bed next to Naoko's pillow. Naoko glanced over her shoulder at the sleeping ball of fluff and smiled, sighing at how peaceful her furry friend looked. "Just a little more and then I can join her," she said to herself, rising for another cup of tea.

"You have got to be kidding me." Naoko stood holding an empty container in her hand, almost ready to cry when she realised that she had no tea left. She threw the container aside and started frantically searching through her apartment, emptying cupboards and drawers as she went. There had to be some hidden away somewhere, right? It couldn't all be gone. It was never all gone.

"It's all gone." Naoko collapsed onto her chair after turning her apartment inside out. There was no tea left. She glanced at the clock. It was nearing 4 o'clock in the morning. Could she really be bothered to nip to the convenience store just for some tea?

A few seconds later and Naoko was out the door, tapping her shoes onto her feet as she went, purse in hand. It was never 'just some tea'. There was no way she was making it through the rest of the night, or getting up in the morning for that matter, without knowing she had tea in her cupboard. So long as you have tea in your cupboard, nothing else matters. That was something her mother used to say when Naoko would ask her why the cupboards were always filled with teabags. _'Never underestimate the power of a cup of tea, Naoko.' _  
'Indeed,' Naoko thought. "If it can drag me out to the shops at this ungodly hour then it must be powerful stuff."

It wasn't long before Naoko was squinting from the bright lights of the convenience store and making a bee line for the tea. Unfortunately, due to the bright lights and Naoko's tunnel vision, she didn't see the person walk out in front of her before it was too late and she was thrown backwards from the impact. But before she could hit the floor she was pulled back to her feet, a strong hand holding onto her arm.  
"Are you alright?" A voice asked.  
Naoko looked up into the face of the person she had collided with, a little embarrassed that she hadn't seen him. "I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."  
"Don't worry about it," the man replied. "No one was hurt. I _am_ going to need to buy some more milk, though."  
Naoko looked down and realised that the two of them were now standing in a white puddle, the small carton having split on impact with the floor. This stranger had dropped it to save her from falling to the ground. She felt touched, but also incredibly guilty. "I am so sorry. I'll go buy you another one."  
He laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's only a carton of milk and you look like you're in a hurry anyway so…"  
Naoko _was_ in a hurry, but that didn't stop her feeling embarrassed. It was clear from this man's attire that he was a ninja, a protector of the village who risked his life on a daily basis. He was probably picking up some milk after returning home from a long, hard mission and here she was, after napping until noon, rushing to buy tea so she could finish her paperwork that should have been sorted days ago. Hardly urgent business, so as much as she would have liked to take him at his word and just buy her tea and go home, she couldn't. "It's no problem," she assured him. "I was going to that section anyway."

A few minutes later and Naoko was on her way home, a box of teabags in one hand and a carton of royal milk tea in the other. She hadn't wanted the royal milk tea, but since she had said she was going to the fridge section (a lie) she felt compelled to buy something anyway. But all was well; the ninja man had his milk and she had her tea. Now all that was left was that blasted paperwork.

* * *

"Naoko… Naoko…"  
Naoko opened her eyes at the sound of her name to see kind blue eyes looking back at her, the wrinkles deepened from the smile on the old woman's face.  
"Mrs Tanaka. I'm terribly sorry. Was I drifting off again?"  
Mrs Tanaka was one of her regular customers. She always arrived, without fail, at 10 o'clock every Monday morning to buy a small slice of lemon cheesecake. Naoko always took her arrival as a sign that this was going to be a good week, even if it didn't always turn out that way.  
"You were up all night again, weren't you?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Naoko had finally finished her paperwork at 6 o'clock that morning. "You should really get more sleep, Naoko. You look exhausted."  
"I'll be sure to get a good night's sleep tonight, Mrs Tanaka. Please come again soon." This was a lie, of course. Naoko never got a good night's sleep. She was always up late either finishing paperwork off or preparing her cakes for the next day. But she never complained; this shop was her life and she didn't know what she'd do without it.  
After Mrs Tanaka was off on her way, there was no one else in the store so Naoko took this opportunity to rest her eyes for a minute or two, just to take away some of the tired she was feeling.  
"You do look exhausted. Perhaps you should be sleeping instead of buying tea at 4 o'clock in the morning."  
Naoko recognised that voice. She opened her eyes to see the man from the convenience store standing in front of her, hands in pockets. "Milk man!" Where had he come from? Naoko could have sworn the shop was empty.  
He laughed. "I suppose that makes you tea woman, then."  
Naoko felt her cheeks grow hot, once again feeling embarrassed under the eye of this man; 'tea woman' probably fit her more than he realised. "Sorry," Naoko quickly apologised. Most people probably wouldn't take it too kindly if someone they had only met once suddenly started calling them 'milk man'. "Sometimes I just blurt things out before I think." Naoko suddenly felt nervous. She could feel her stomach fluttering and mountains of words bubbling towards the surface. This man didn't need to know her life story and he probably wouldn't care that she rambled when she was nervous, but he was about to find all this out within the next few seconds if he didn't quickly reply.  
"No need to apologise. But for future reference, my name is Kakashi. Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi finished with a smile visible only from his right eye; his face was covered by a mask and his headband was lowered to cover his left eye. Definitely a man of mystery (something which always received a huge tick in Naoko's book), but not mysterious enough to enter her shop without purchasing one of her cakes. Putting her butterflies aside, she would just treat him like any other customer. After all, that's what he was, right? "So what can I get for you, Kakashi Hatake?" Naoko realised that she probably should have told him her name first, but she feared the word vomit that would follow so she stuck to the routine response to a customer's arrival. That was always a safe thing to do. Thankfully, he didn't push her for her name and played the perfect customer. "I'd like a slice of castella, please."

Naoko was completely aware of Kakashi's presence as he stood there watching her prepare his order. She could feel his eyes on her as she boxed up the cake, and he never looked away when she met his gaze to hand over his purchase. The whole exchange seemed to last hours, and Naoko was beginning to think it would never end.  
"Thank you. Please come again soon." She smiled as he took his cake and finally left the shop. Once he was gone Naoko collapsed onto the chair she kept behind the counter, that one exchange seeming to have taken all of what little energy she had left. _'But what a coincidence,'_ she thought, him walking into her shop so soon after their encounter at the convenience store. It wasn't long before Naoko found herself wondering if she would ever meet this mysterious milk man again. A man who hid his face from the world. "Kakashi Hatake."


	2. Chapter 2

Naoko could feel something wet on her pillow which is what roused her from her slumber. She pushed herself up into a half-sitting position to see a large wet patch on her bed. She only had to hear the heavy raindrops outside her window to understand the situation. "Momo!" That good-for-nothing cat had obviously gotten caught in the downpour on the way back to the apartment and had taken up her usual spot next to Naoko's pillow, soaking the bedding through. The ginger feline was nowhere in sight so she was hiding somewhere in the apartment, knowing full well what she had done. Naoko sighed. "I really need to get that cat a bed." When she first got Momo she had tried getting the cat her own bed, but she had decided that the spot next to Naoko's pillow was much more to her liking. Naoko didn't mind so much most of the time, but every time it rained she always ended up with a wet patch next to her pillow. Momo just didn't seem to learn. Naoko heaved another sigh when she realised the time; she had to be at work in half an hour so the bedding would have to wait until she returned home.

* * *

"Ah, Kakashi. The usual?"  
It had been over three weeks since Naoko's first encounter with Kakashi Hatake, and since his first visit to the shop he had become one of her regulars. The time and day was never the same, but he was never absent for more than three days at a time. Naoko had found it weird at first that she had never seen this man before their meeting at the convenience store and now she saw him almost all the time, but she decided that it was nothing to complain about. He was always very pleasant when he arrived and he always promised to be back again soon which, although she would never admit it, made Naoko just a little bit happier every time he said it.  
"Thank you as always, Naoko." (She had given up her name on Kakashi's second visit). "By the way, do you have a cat?"  
The question had taken her aback, it seeming to have come from nowhere. "I do. Why do you ask?"  
Kakashi casually pointed to the window of her shop, outside of which a ginger cat was sat staring at Naoko as she went about her daily business. "Momo!" What on earth was she doing here?  
Kakashi followed as Naoko rushed outside to see her friend. "I noticed her sat outside when I came in. I thought perhaps it was just a stray but she hasn't moved since I arrived."  
Immediately Naoko began to panic. Was something wrong? She gave Momo a once over but she appeared to be unharmed and in fine physical condition. Had something happened at the apartment? The apartment. "Ah, I forgot."  
"Is everything alright?" Kakashi asked.  
"Yeah, everything's fine," Naoko replied reaching inside one of her pockets and pulling out a small magnet which she attached to the cat's collar. As soon as it was done, Momo was off on her way. "As punishment for getting my bed wet again this morning I took the magnet off her collar so she couldn't get back through her cat flap when I let her out." As she spoke Naoko rose to her feet, realising too late just how close Kakashi had been standing to her and knocked her head against his chin. "Oh sugar! I am so sorry. Are you alright?" On instinct, she reached out and took his chin in her hands to take a look at the damage before remembering that she couldn't see his chin because of the mask covering his face. She immediately removed her hands and looked away, embarrassed by her actions.  
"Ahaha. I'm fine. Haha." Kakashi was laughing nervously, Naoko's actions having caught him off guard. He was thankful that he was wearing a mask because he was sure that his face was bright red. He had to escape quickly before Naoko noticed anything. "Thanks again for the cake." And before Naoko could say another word he was gone. Going back into her shop Naoko wondered if it was something she'd said. He seemed to leave in such a rush that she was beginning to think that she'd done something wrong. Was it what she'd said about Momo? "Oh God. Does he think I'm heartless for locking Momo outside?" Suddenly her actions towards her cat seemed very cruel and unnecessary. "But she's got to learn," she said defensively to no one in particular before slumping onto her chair, a dark cloud suddenly hanging over her. "He hates me doesn't he?"  
"Who hates you?"  
Naoko hadn't heard anyone come in so the sudden voice took her by surprise, shocking her temporarily out of her depression. "Ahaha," she began to laugh nervously. "No one. How can I help you?" This person was also a ninja; the village symbol worn proudly on his headband. However, unlike Kakashi, this one was only a young boy donned in an orange jumpsuit. _'I wonder if he knows Kakashi,'_ she wondered, the masked ninja still on her mind.  
The boy smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his bright blonde hair as he explained what he wanted. "Well you see, erm, there's this girl I like and it's kind of her birthday soon so I wanted to get her a cake."  
"So you want a birthday cake?"  
"Yes please!"  
"Do you want it just for the two of you?" He blushed. "Or is it for a party?" At this point the boy started talking to himself.  
"I want it to be for just the two of us, but she probably won't accept it. I suppose I should get it to share with Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei as well. But would they eat it?" Naoko's ears pricked up. Kakashi-sensei? "I suppose I should get them some anyway, just because. Alright. I'd like a cake big enough for four people please," the boy finally decided but Naoko wasn't listening anymore.  
"Did you just say Kakashi-sensei?"  
"Yeah. Do you know Sensei?"  
Hmm. Did she really know him? Was it okay to say she knew him? She'd only ever seen him that one time outside of work and that didn't really count. Would this kid go telling his Sensei that some woman was asking questions? Well, she wasn't doing any harm. She was just confirming what she thought she'd heard him say. Maybe she should just say that he's a customer of hers. After all, that's all he was right?  
"He comes in sometimes to buy a cake every now and again." From the look on the boy's face she could see that he was confused. Had she got it wrong? Were there two Kakashi's? It wasn't really a common name.  
"Kakashi-sensei comes here?"  
"Yeah. You know, silver hair, wears a mask, always has his left eye covered." Even if there were two Kakashi's, surely there was only one man that fitted that description.  
"That's weird," the boy replied. "Kakashi-sensei doesn't like sweet things."

* * *

He doesn't like sweet things?  
Naoko lay awake in bed that night thinking about what that boy had said. But if Kakashi didn't like sweet things then why did he always come back for more? And just what was he doing with the cakes that he bought? "He better not be wasting them!" The more Naoko thought about it the more it annoyed her. What other reason would he have to suddenly start coming to her shop to buy her delicious cakes if not to eat them? Unless… It couldn't be that. Could it? No. That was impossible. He must just be coming to buy for friends. A person is allowed to buy cake for other people even if they don't eat it themselves. It's perfectly normal. Satisfied, but not completely happy with her conclusion, Naoko rolled over and went to sleep with a final thought: '_Perhaps I should confront him the next time I see him.'_

* * *

It was a couple of days before Naoko saw Kakashi again and, although she had had every intention of asking about the cakes (which was really none of her business anyway), as soon as she saw him all those thoughts flew from her mind as a wave of relief washed over her. He was smiling at her as he came in, the tell-tale signs at the corner of his visible eye, and all she could think was _'he doesn't hate me'. _After he had rushed from the shop the other day a part of her had been terrified that he wouldn't come back, but all those fears were swept away by the sight of him.  
"The usual, Kakashi?" She asked, trying to stop herself from grinning like an idiot as she reached for his usual slice of castella.  
"You know me too well," he laughed, grabbing the money from his pocket.  
"I had one of your students in here the other day," Naoko began as she wrapped up Kakashi's order. "He came to buy a birthday cake."  
"Oh really?"  
"Yeah. A little blonde kid in an orange jumpsuit. "  
"That would be Naruto," Kakashi said, inwardly groaning. "I hope he didn't bother you too much. He can be a bit of a handful that one." Although he tried not to show it, Kakashi was actually a little worried about what might have been said between Naruto and Naoko. If Naoko had mentioned anything about Kakashi's regular visits Naruto was sure to have voiced his surprise; his team knew he wasn't a big sweets fan so regular visits to a cake shop would seem a little suspicious. Was his cover blown? Naruto hadn't said anything to him, so perhaps he was safe.  
"He was no trouble. A little indecisive, but polite enough," Naoko assured him, thinking back on what the boy had told her. _'Kakashi-sensei doesn't like sweet things.'_ Should she say something? But she didn't want to put him in an awkward position, and she also wasn't sure if she wanted to hear his response. What if they were for his girlfriend? A man like Kakashi must surely have someone waiting for him at home. No. She wouldn't say anything. She looked forward to the days he came and she didn't want to ruin that.  
"Well, here's your castella," Naoko said handing the cake over the counter as Kakashi handed her the money (heaving a sigh of relief that Naoko missed). "Please come again."  
"You can be sure of it," he replied with a smile, giving her a small wave as he left the shop. Naoko watched him go with a tiny ache in her heart, wishing she could have prolonged the exchange just a little longer, but she had other customers to serve and she didn't have time to spend day dreaming. She would see him again.


End file.
